1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign with Ed Bearss June 20 - 22, 2008 Sponsored by the Lancaster Civil War Round Table
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1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign with Ed Bearss June 20 - 22, 2008 Sponsored by the Lancaster Civil War Round Table Join us as we travel to the upper end of the Shenandoah Valley to learn about Jackson’s 1862 Campaign with a living legend! Some of the battles that we will explore are: The Battle of McDowell - the first Confederate victory of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign was fought in Highland County on May 8, 1862. This battlefield is the only Valley Campaign site that looks almost precisely as it did at the time of the Civil War, and it has been designated "100% pristine" by the U.S. Department of the Interior… The Battle of Front Royal - Confederate troops under Stonewall Jackson swept through town May 23, 1862, brushing aside light Federal resistance. The stunning Southern victory outflanked the main Union force under Gen. Nathaniel Banks located to the west of the Massanutten Mountain in Strasburg. From Front Royal, Jackson marched northwest toward Winchester hoping to cut off and destroy Banks. Jackson was partially successful. Banks, soundly defeated at Winchester May 25, did manage to escape. Jackson's rapid successes alarmed Washington DC and froze Union troops supposedly on their way to the Richmond area to join Gen. George McClellan's campaign against the Confederate capital… The Battle of Harrisonburg - June 8, 1862, when Confederate forces under Stonewall Jackson turned back one wing of the Union armies attempting to encircle and destroy him. The action moved the next day to the Port Republic area where Jackson defeated the other Federal wing… The Battle of Cross Keys - On June 8, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate Army Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Together, the battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic were the decisive victories in Jackson's Valley Campaign, forcing the Union armies to retreat and leaving Jackson free to reinforce Robert E. Lee for the Seven Days Battles outside Richmond, Virginia… The Battle of Port Republic - The Battle of Port Republic was fought on June 9, 1862, in Rockingham County, Virginia, as part of Confederate States Army Major General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's Campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War. Port Republic was a fierce contest between two equally determined foes and was the most costly battle fought by Jackson's Army of the Valley during its campaign. Jackson Headquarters Jackson used this small house as his headquarters the winter of 1861-1862 after he took command of the Valley Army. Artifacts related to Jackson and his cavalry commander, Turner Ashby, are on exhibit. The home is a gothic revival style cottage built in 1854 for William Fuller, was named "Alta Vista", and had a beautiful view over open hillsides facing east across Winchester. "The situation is beautiful; the building is of a cottage style and contains six rooms. I have two rooms, one above the other. The lower room, or office, has a matting on the floor, a large fine table, six chairs, and a piano. The walls are papered with elegant gilt paper. I don't remember to have ever seen a more beautiful papering, and there are five paintings hanging on the walls. … The upper room is neat, but not a full story and … remarkable for being heated in a peculiar manner, by a flue from the office below. Through the blessing of our ever-kind Heavenly Father, I am quite comfortable." – Letter, Jackson to his wife Mary, November 16, 1861 White House Home and meeting house of pioneer Martin Kauffman II, minister to a small Mennonite congregation. The White House Ferry and the White House Bridge across the South Fork of the Shenandoah River took their name from this house. The house and bridge played a critical role during the Civil War during the Valley Campaign of 1862. Confederates burned the bridge on June 2nd, just an hour before the arrival of Union forces attempting to overtake Stonewall Jackson's army, allowing Jackson to engage and defeat Generals Freemont and then General Shields at Cross Keys, and Port Republic June 8th and 9th. Built in 1760, the house is constructed of stone covered with lime-and-sand mortar. A vaulted cellar is the fort, reached through a trap door in the floor. Portholes on all sides of the cellar allow the besieged settlers to shoot at attackers. Asbury Chapel This is the site where General Jackson halted his Army and finalized his plan of attack on the unsuspecting Federal soldiers occupying the Town of Front Royal. The head of Jackson’s Army (16,000 soldiers) was at Asbury Chapel, the rear of his Army between Bentonville and Overall at approximately 10 o’clock a.m. At Asbury Chapel General Jackson ordered the 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA to the front of the column to lead the attack on the town of Front Royal. Defending the town were troops from the 1st Maryland, USA. This would be the start of the Battle of Front Royal. Kemper House During Port Republic’s heyday, early 1800’s, the "Turner Ashby House", as it was often called by locals, was built for Benjamin Franklin Kemper, son of Dr. George Whitfield Kemper, Sr. The home of Benjamin Franklin Kemper and his wife, Eliza Holbrook Kemper, was built as one room over one with a side hall in the 1830's, but the rest of it, the larger part, was added within 10 years. Their residence also operated as an inn and tavern for travelers, primarily for river boatmen. When Port Republic became the site of a major battle during "Stonewall" Jackson's Valley Campaign, 1862, the Kemper house was used as a "hospital"; General Jackson was headquartered in the upper end of the village at Madison Hall, home of Dr. Kemper, Sr. On June 6, the famed Confederate General Turner Ashby was killed in battle near Harrisonburg. His body was brought behind the battle lines to the Frank Kemper House. Legend holds that the women of Port prepared his body for burial, placing a red rose over the wound where the bullet had entered. General Jackson was among those who came to pay respects. According to Wilse Harper, a twelve-year-old at the time, Jackson patted him on the head and said, "Son, there lies the best General a man ever had". Price of the tour is: $399.00 per person double occupancy $476.00 per person single occupancy Price will include: Motorcoach transportation from Lancaster, Ed Bearss as your guide, lodging, all admission fees, continental breakfasts, three lunches, two dinners, tip for driver, tip for guide, all taxes and gratuities. A deposit of $75.00 per person will hold your seat. Balance is due no later than May 2nd. If paying by credit card, your card will be charged in full upon receipt. Cancellations received 45 or more days before the tour will receive a full refund. Cancellations received 44 days or less before the tour will only receive a refund if either you or the club fills the open seat(s). To Register : Complete the form below and send your payment to: All-In-One Tours, 1530 Commerce Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601. Questions? Call Micky at 581-5333 #102. NAME______________________________________________________________________________ PHONE _____________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ROOMING WITH _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AMOUNT ENCLOSED (OR TO BE CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD) $__________________ CIRCLE ONE: VISA MASTERCARD DISCOVER CARD NUMBER ______________________________________________________________ EXPIRATION DATE __________________________ NAME AS IT APPEARS ON THE CARD______________________________________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE _____________________________________________________ Number of seats ___________ 080619-CW-LCWRT-K .